Famous patients?

[Apollyon]

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A few weeks back, I read the nurse's note - "got dizzy in court today". I thought, "Ah - it's jailitis - incarceritis". Didn't recognize the name.

Went to see the pt, and it turns out she's a local reporter. Didn't recognize her, since I don't watch the local news.

I know you can't say who, but, anyone ever had a famous patient?

 

[mikecwru]

A few weeks back, I read the nurse's note - "got dizzy in court today". I thought, "Ah - it's jailitis - incarceritis". Didn't recognize the name.

Went to see the pt, and it turns out she's a local reporter. Didn't recognize her, since I don't watch the local news.

I know you can't say who, but, anyone ever had a famous patient?

We've had most of the local reporters or their families. One of our staff treated the lead singer of Creed.

Most of my patients show up on the neww... that's cause they're infamous.

mike

 

[southerndoc]

I've treated a a national television news anchor, a Nobel laureate, and my favorite -- the president of a small African country (yep, I recognized him right off the bat -- just kidding. I was wondering why he had an enterouge around him though.)

 

[EMIMG]

I never interacted with this person, but last year that was a famous singer who was ill with what was described in the news as an allergic reaction to antibiotics she was on. Apparently many people did not give this singer any "RESPECT" as they looked into her medical records. Rumor has it many people were reprimanded/dismissed for viewing her medical records without any reason to do so.

 

[Direct Laryngoscopy]

I took care of a very famous rapper who was shot numerous times. He was pretty quiet, but his mouth was wired shut. Needless to say that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the most important people in music right now.

 

[maxheadroom]

Not to be a buzz-kill kind of guy, but you guys realize that it's a HIPAA violation to reveal information that may identify a patient unless they've given their express consent to you identifying them as a patient?

Sure, I doubt that A***** ********, S**** *****, or L******* reads SDN, but to disclose them as patients is at best risky. I'd advise you guys to cut it out.

That being said, one of my faculty has become a regular consultant for MLB pitchers with a certain kind of hand problem that is often misdiagnosed.

 

[edinOH]

I took care of some rapper guy who was in DKA. I had never heard of the guy but our clerks and housekeeping staff seemed to be pretty impressed he was here. His entourage filled up the waiting room to capacity. Never seen so much bling and "gold grills" in one place in my life. Now that I know who the guy is I see his name all over the place. Can't say who he was of course.

He signed out of the ICU AMA the next day. Said he had to finish shooting a video. Fo Shizzle.

 

[docB]

I'm in Vegas so I see famous people fairly regularly. Also my ER takes care of all the fighters. What I will say is that boxers have much more class and manners than the ultimate fighters.

 

[southerndoc]

Not to be a buzz-kill kind of guy, but you guys realize that it's a HIPAA violation to reveal information that may identify a patient unless they've given their express consent to you identifying them as a patient?

Sure, I doubt that A***** ********, S**** *****, or L******* reads SDN, but to disclose them as patients is at best risky. I'd advise you guys to cut it out.

That being said, one of my faculty has become a regular consultant for MLB pitchers with a certain kind of hand problem that is often misdiagnosed.

Give me a break. If someone is older than 90 years old, their AGE is considered confidential information and a HIPAA violation if you discuss it.

 

[cowbydoc]

I worked in Aspen for a month and took care of a few celebs. The cool thing was they were very nice and never demanded any special treatment or anything.

 

[maxheadroom]

I won't argue the painfulness of some of HIPAA's regulations with you. I got stuck on one of the information security committees at one of our hospitals and the possible liability for violating confidentiality can be catastrophic.

Seriously, you shouldn't be posting about real people whom you have treated/interacted with as a patient in your capacity as a physician. Sure, it's fun to say "I sewed up Senator ********'s wife and she was totally drunk", but it's a violation of privacy and could have serious repercussions for you.

Remember that talk when you were in medical school, where they told you that patients tell physicians things that they'll never tell anyone else? EPs see/hear even more than the rest of us because you're essentially anonymous and the patient is (usually) in an acute setting.

 

[Apollyon]

That's why I said "I know you can't say who" - the HIPAA thing is big. That's why you still have no idea who it is if I say "a local reporter".

Speaking of...

Do you know the HIPAA joke?

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

HIPAA.

HIPAA who?

I can't tell you.

 

[Apollyon]

Sure, I doubt that A***** ********, S**** *****, or L******* reads SDN, but to disclose them as patients is at best risky. I'd advise you guys to cut it out.

Had YOU not mentioned it, I would never have known it was Ludacris.

 

[iliacus]

I took care of a very famous rapper who was shot numerous times. He was pretty quiet, but his mouth was wired shut. Needless to say that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the most important people in music right now.

Normally being shot numerous times and famous would allow one to deduce who you're talking about. But when it comes to rappers I'm still drawing a blank 🙄

 

[southerndoc]

Normally being shot numerous times and famous would allow one to deduce who you're talking about. But when it comes to rappers I'm still drawing a blank 🙄

There have been more than one rapper who was shot numerous times.

With regards to HIPAA and real life, what do you guys do about patient tracking? Do you still use a whiteboard?

I am waiting for the first HIPAA suit to come from an ED patient. Patients are routinely interviewed and examined in the hallway, and even when they are in rooms, many rooms (i.e., "bays") have curtains between them. So the patient next door hears everything.

 

[Apollyon]

There have been more than one rapper who was shot numerous times.

With regards to HIPAA and real life, what do you guys do about patient tracking? Do you still use a whiteboard?

I am waiting for the first HIPAA suit to come from an ED patient. Patients are routinely interviewed and examined in the hallway, and even when they are in rooms, many rooms (i.e., "bays") have curtains between them. So the patient next door hears everything.

We use Wellsoft, and the computers that are in public areas are all ******* when logged out, and hospital policy is zealously enforced to log out when you're done. There's no "big board" up - Mt. Sinai had that 2 years ago - Wellsoft on a big plasma screen - with the names ***** out, but the CC's there.

As far as hall patients, I do my best to whisper, and routinely stop when people are walking by. However, with the old, hard of hearing patients, it becomes a challenge.

 

[docB]

There have been more than one rapper who was shot numerous times.

With regards to HIPAA and real life, what do you guys do about patient tracking? Do you still use a whiteboard?

I am waiting for the first HIPAA suit to come from an ED patient. Patients are routinely interviewed and examined in the hallway, and even when they are in rooms, many rooms (i.e., "bays") have curtains between them. So the patient next door hears everything.

HIPAA has exceptions for "incidental disclosures" that occur from people being in hallways, curtain bays, things overheard while someone is walking by, ect. When HIPAA was being written everyone knew that if it mandated the rebuild of every ER in the country it would be shot down. Everyone knows I'm no big fan of the government or regulations. I think EMTALA was written by Satan. But HIPAA as written is not so terrible, it has just evolved to be wretched. What happened was that the eforcement penalties were made so expensive that the hospitals freaked. HIPAA actually says that two clinicians can disclose info for the purposes of giving care WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. That's right. The law says I could call you up at your ER and say "Hey, you saw this guy last week and he's in my ER now. What was up?" and you can answer without a signed, written letter. That's what the law says but all the hospitals overreacted and now almost no one will share info.

What I will say about HIPAA is that like most government regulations it was well intentioned, screwed a lot of people and did the opposite of what it was supposed to. What it was really started to do was to keep insurance companies from blacklisting people. That was a bust because the insurance companies just demand that you sign a HIPAA waiver before they'll insure you. It was supposed to make info for patient care flow easily. As mentioned it had the opposite effect.

Everyone in the public loves to cite the number of people killed by "medical mistakes." Is giving someone a drug that they're allergic to or that interacts with one that they're on a mistake. The Institute of Medicine says it is even if the pt didn't tell you about their meds or allergies. How many patient do you see that don't know anything about their history but just say it's in their chart at the hospital across town? HIPAA makes it so we can't get this info in a timely fashion. So all in all is it helping or hurting?

 

[southerndoc]

I actually supported the original HIPAA regulations. Many years ago, this bill was known as the Kennedy-Kassabaum bill. Its major protective feature was to allow employees to keep insurance when moving from one job to another (instead of being without insurance for a 90-to-180-day period until new insurance was in effect). It also protected against insurance discrimination by use of genetic or other information.

Somehow things did spiral out of control, and I guarantee you, it's only a matter of time before a lawsuit is brought against some ED for interviewing a patient in the hallway, violating his or her privacy... no matter if HIPAA specifies this or not.

 

[la gringa]

you're right, the rapper shot many times doesn't narrow it down a-tall. before the L**** stuff i thought it was 50 cent. he openly brags about it in his lyrics...

 

[docB]

I think the really interesting thing is how the regs say there can be free exchange of info between clinicians without all the bs but every hospital has its own weird policies and blames it on HIPAA. Next time you have to take a mandatory HIPAA class ask the trainer about this. They love it.

 

[f_w]

The funny thing about HIPAA is the army of 'HIPAA consultants' it has created. People who don't want to take care of patients but rather travel the countryside conducting the mandatory HIPAA trainings for top $$.

Overall, I believe that it had a negative impact on patient care. The unreasonable impediments it has thrown up to the free flow of information are hurting a good number of patients. And as pointed out, the law itself says nothing of that. If you are a treating physician, you can get access to prior records. But unfortunately, the hospitals in their CYA attitude have come up with some of these really bizarre regulations.

But yes, keep the names and identities of folks out of here.

 

[iliacus]

In between classes here in Florida I was working at a certain ED in Santa Maria, CA where a certain singer under trial would come in with back problems. All he would say was "that prosecuter is DEVILISH." When asked about ETOH use, all he would admit to is sipping "jesus juice" during a slumber party with his friends. I dunno..I better be careful here I don't want to break any hippa laws 🙄

 

[Tas]

even before HIPPA, it was 'bad form' to discuss patient information publicly.
If your doctor broke confidence about YOU on an internet message board, how would YOU react. Why should anyone trust a doc that would flaunt (or taunt) the law and personal respect like that.

Keep it private, it's our place to treat people, not give ourselves some sort of ?ego? boost by talking about services rendered to others, famous or not.

👎

 

[Apollyon]

even before HIPPA, it was 'bad form' to discuss patient information publicly.
If your doctor broke confidence about YOU on an internet message board, how would YOU react. Why should anyone trust a doc that would flaunt (or taunt) the law and personal respect like that.

Keep it private, it's our place to treat people, not give ourselves some sort of ?ego? boost by talking about services rendered to others, famous or not.

👎

RE-LAX.

For one, it's "HIPAA" - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountibility Act of 1996 - likely before your time.

And it's not an "ego" boost - although, considering some of the near miracles that our (or at least my) colleagues in medicine perform, they DESERVE some pats on the back.

The question was just if anyone ever had any famous patients. So get off your high horse.

 

[pinbor1]

RE-LAX.

For one, it's "HIPAA" - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountibility Act of 1996 - likely before your time.

And it's not an "ego" boost - although, considering some of the near miracles that our (or at least my) colleagues in medicine perform, they DESERVE some pats on the back.

The question was just if anyone ever had any famous patients. So get off your high horse.

I'll drink to that.

As for famous patients... I haven't personally had any famous patients, just a certain purple clothed singer's (from MN) wedding planner. As for infamous patients... plenty while on trauma

Some of the miracles our colleagues perform in the OR and on the floors definitely deserve pats on the back. We had a famous ex-baller come into a trauma and the surgeons worked miracles to keep his leg from being amputated and helping him retain atleast some function.

 

[docB]

As for famous patients... I haven't personally had any famous patients, just a certain purple clothed singer's (from MN) wedding planner. .

I had this guy who came in as a psych a while back. He was yammering on about how he was the personal assisstant to a well known actor. He was going on about new projects that the actor was starting. I assumed it was all psycho bs but lo and behold about 8 months later the movie came out that this guy was talking about. I guess he might have had something to do with the actor but I'm still guessing psycho fan or grounds keeper.

 

[pillowhead]

When Niki Taylor was in a bad car accident a few years back, she was treated at the Grady ER in Atlanta (run by Emory physicians) and stayed there for quite a while. I don't think this is a HIPAA violation being that it was all over the news locally and nationally, and she subsequently was quite vocal and active about fundraising for Grady and what great treatment she got.

 

[Tas]

RE-LAX.

For one, it's "HIPAA" - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountibility Act of 1996 - likely before your time.

And it's not an "ego" boost - although, considering some of the near miracles that our (or at least my) colleagues in medicine perform, they DESERVE some pats on the back.

The question was just if anyone ever had any famous patients. So get off your high horse.

I remember HIPAA's implementation quite well. I guess I must be old fashion, because that wasn't considered being on a high horse, just having standards.

Do they only deserve pats on the back for working on famous patients? Also, unless you are refering just to posters on SDN as your colleagues, are you going to show others this thread so they know they are getting a pat on the back?

Perhaps you should use this as a guide: Would you write to the patient you have treated and refer him or her to this thread. If you would not want them seeing what you've posted, probably shouldn't post it.

Besides, it wasn't exactly your post that I had trouble with, it was the inevitable follow-up posts that contain identifiable information.

Can you discuss: "I had a 30yom with sudden onset cp post-exercise"-- Yep
but: "I had Mr. xxxx xxxxxx with cp after he recorded his hit record xxxxxx and he was with his female entourage at xxxxxxx" -- nope

 

[Sessamoid]

I had this guy who came in as a psych a while back. He was yammering on about how he was the personal assisstant to a well known actor. He was going on about new projects that the actor was starting. I assumed it was all psycho bs but lo and behold about 8 months later the movie came out that this guy was talking about. I guess he might have had something to do with the actor but I'm still guessing psycho fan or grounds keeper.

Just being psycho doesn't rule them out from being a personal assistant. In fact, some might call it a prerequisite...

 

[aphistis]

I remember HIPAA's implementation quite well. I guess I must be old fashion, because that wasn't considered being on a high horse, just having standards. Pats on the back are one thing, but revealing patient information is another.

Perhaps you should use this as a guide: Would you write to the patient you have treated and refer him or her to this thread. If you would not want them seeing what you've posted, probably shouldn't post it.

I love it when pre-meds drop in on the post-grad boards to lecture residents.

I can't even bring myself to poke fun at it; it's fish in a barrel, no sport at all. Is there anything else the physicians here need to know from you, or can they get back to work?

 

[Tas]

I love it when pre-meds drop in on the post-grad boards to lecture residents.

I can't even bring myself to poke fun at it; it's fish in a barrel, no sport at all. Is there anything else the physicians here need to know from you, or can they get back to work?

Ok, so you say you can poke fun at me? Do it. Do residents know everything? Which posters are residents so I know to bow to the omniscent?

I would like to think that 8 years of patient care have taught me something.

*edit*

 

[iliacus]

even before HIPPA, it was 'bad form' to discuss patient information publicly.
If your doctor broke confidence about YOU on an internet message board, how would YOU react. Why should anyone trust a doc that would flaunt (or taunt) the law and personal respect like that.

Keep it private, it's our place to treat people, not give ourselves some sort of ?ego? boost by talking about services rendered to others, famous or not.

👎

This is kind of an annoying post. I wouldn't try to lecture these guys. Many have been practicing docs for years and provide great insight into EM for students. To tell them what there "place" is....Ouch. If you get in to med school be sure to tell your attendings on your rotations it's there place to treat people and they should ease up on their "ego" boost

 

[beanbean]

Most of the posters on this forum are residents and attendings. You made a point about HIPPA and confidentiality. The people posting read it and if they chose to continue adding to this thread that is their choice.

It is not productive to take other people's inventory.

Posting anonymously about anonymous famous patients on an anonymous website is not much of a HIPPA violation. When a famous Olympic figure skater was in an accident in my area, one of the lab techs at the hospital released her blood alcohol level to the press. Now that is a HIPPA violation and they were fired.

 

[edinOH]

I remember HIPAA's implementation quite well. I guess I must be old fashion, because that wasn't considered being on a high horse, just having standards.

Do they only deserve pats on the back for working on famous patients? Also, unless you are refering just to posters on SDN as your colleagues, are you going to show others this thread so they know they are getting a pat on the back?

Perhaps you should use this as a guide: Would you write to the patient you have treated and refer him or her to this thread. If you would not want them seeing what you've posted, probably shouldn't post it.

Besides, it wasn't exactly your post that I had trouble with, it was the inevitable follow-up posts that contain identifiable information.

Can you discuss: "I had a 30yom with sudden onset cp post-exercise"-- Yep
but: "I had Mr. xxxx xxxxxx with cp after he recorded his hit record xxxxxx and he was with his female entourage at xxxxxxx" -- nope

Judging by your signature I guess you never got into medical school.

 

[Tas]

Most of the posters on this forum are residents and attendings. You made a point about HIPPA and confidentiality. The people posting read it and if they chose to continue adding to this thread that is their choice.

Point taken.

Judging by your signature I guess you never got into medical school.

nawp, I'm in, just liked the sig.

-----------------

Best of luck guys. I'm outty.

 

[primadonna22274]

My mother, a hospital RN, once took care of a very famous author (think ****oo's Nest) in Eugene. She told me only after he died and said he was very, very gracious and kind to her despite being very ill.
Lisa PA-C

A few weeks back, I read the nurse's note - "got dizzy in court today". I thought, "Ah - it's jailitis - incarceritis". Didn't recognize the name.

Went to see the pt, and it turns out she's a local reporter. Didn't recognize her, since I don't watch the local news.

I know you can't say who, but, anyone ever had a famous patient?

 

[NinerNiner999]

The funny thing about all this bitching is that the posters posting about patients who are supposed to remain anonymous here are anonymous themselves. It's not like we even know the doctors treating these famous patients. Then again, we are also in the internet, so who could even validate who really treated who? For all of you whiny, HIPAA compliant anally-retentive people who insist on keeping patient anonymity intact while reading (and posting) on an anonymous web board, just shut up, grab a long pair of forceps, and remove the large balled up piece of federal legislation that appears to be obstructing your rectal orifice.

 

[docB]

IPerhaps you should use this as a guide: Would you write to the patient you have treated and refer him or her to this thread. If you would not want them seeing what you've posted, probably shouldn't post it.

While that's not a bad idea the golden rule doesn't apply to bureaucracy. Even if the patient doesn't care about a disclosure the hospital might. For example, I treated a big name boxer a few years back. He was polite, courteous, a real class act. But if I named him and my hospital found out. Whoa! It not so much the patients you have to worry about as the hospitals who are scared s------s. Case in point. How many of you carry a patient list. I do. Names, ages, room #s and CC. Other people carry stickers. A charge nurse recently noticed one of our docs putting his list in his pocket and going home. The hospital sent out a memo the next day saying that every name or sticker is a seperate $25,000 HIPAA violation. When I got the memo I had a few weeks lists in my pocket, well over a million dollars worth. HIPAA is scary.

 

[iliacus]

I treated a big name boxer a few years back. He was polite, courteous, a real class act. But if I named him and my hospital found out. Whoa!

Great job sewing the ear back on DocB 👍

 

[mikecwru]

While that's not a bad idea the golden rule doesn't apply to bureaucracy. Even if the patient doesn't care about a disclosure the hospital might. For example, I treated a big name boxer a few years back. He was polite, courteous, a real class act. But if I named him and my hospital found out. Whoa! It not so much the patients you have to worry about as the hospitals who are scared s------s. Case in point. How many of you carry a patient list. I do. Names, ages, room #s and CC. Other people carry stickers. A charge nurse recently noticed one of our docs putting his list in his pocket and going home. The hospital sent out a memo the next day saying that every name or sticker is a seperate $25,000 HIPAA violation. When I got the memo I had a few weeks lists in my pocket, well over a million dollars worth. HIPAA is scary.

This is what you get when you have non-physicians dictating medical care.

 

[pimpdogg]

You know, I'm not so sure that Ludacris has been shot. With the whole mouth wired shut thing I was thinking Kanye West.

 

[WilcoWorld]

You know, I'm not so sure that Ludacris has been shot. With the whole mouth wired shut thing I was thinking Kanye West.

I was too, but I'm pretty sure his major trauma resulted from a car accident, and I don't think he was ever shot.

Regardless, CHICAGO REPRAZENT.

 

[la gringa]

i didn't think ludacris had been shot either - he's more of a fun rapper than a down and dirty one... at least that's how i see it. fiddy is who comes to mind, to me, when discussing multiple gsw's.

 

[docB]

Great job sewing the ear back on DocB 👍

The toughest part was getting it away from Tyson in the first place.

(I can say that because it really wasn't Hollyfield that I saw.)

 

[ERMudPhud]

Personally, I thought Tas was hitting pretty close to how I felt about the whole issue and just because he's a medical student doesn't mean he can't express that view here. The EM board has generally been one of the friendlier, more open, more flame ******ent areas of SND and I hope it stays that way. I was getting a bit uncomfortable with the level of detail in some of the posts too.

 

[ERMudPhud]

The hospital sent out a memo the next day saying that every name or sticker is a seperate $25,000 HIPAA violation. When I got the memo I had a few weeks lists in my pocket, well over a million dollars worth. HIPAA is scary.

God, my wife and I probably have millions of dollars worth of potential HIPAA fines in our work bags.

Its getting to the point where when patients come into the hospital they will need to be given a secret identity or porn star name by which they will be referred to through out their hospital stay. Actually one of the hospitals I worked at tried something similar when the hospital attorney felt that yelling "Mrs. Jones, your next" into the waiting room was a HIPAA violation. Each patient was given a card with the name of a Colorado mountain on it. That way you could yell "Mt. Elbert, your up." We also put those "names" on the ED board. The whole thing was ridiculous and only lasted a few weeks.

When I worked in NYC I treated a lot of famous people or family members of famous people and the only ones who registered under assumed identities were the mafia Dons. That created a problem once when one of the Dons registered under a new secret identity and nobody could remember his old secret identity in order to find his medical records which included a cardiac cath result that was rather crucial to his treatment

 

[pinbor1]

I was too, but I'm pretty sure his major trauma resulted from a car accident, and I don't think he was ever shot.

Regardless, CHICAGO REPRAZENT.

I was thinking it was 50 cent that got shot up.

If you listen to 1st album he raps about getting shot in the mouth... and spitting out the bullet... blah blah blah...

Regardless, Wilco... I think we'll be taking care of plenty Chi-town "future rap stars" on trauma. I've had a couple of trauma patients throw down beats... Some horrible some pretty good.

 

[dr_almondjoy_do]

i didn't think ludacris had been shot either - he's more of a fun rapper than a down and dirty one... at least that's how i see it. fiddy is who comes to mind, to me, when discussing multiple gsw's.

See, alot of times, people forget that rappers are actors too, and that entertainment does not equate to reality.

"Fun" people get shot too...examples:

Pope John Paul, rest his soul
Ronald Reagan
JFK, rest his soul

None of which were down and dirty based on public perception. Sorry to get all PC, but comments like these get on my last nerve!

And yes, I will equate a rapper to the above mentioned because they are all human beings and famous people...

 

[Dukes]

I was thinking it was 50 cent that got shot up.

If you listen to 1st album he raps about getting shot in the mouth... and spitting out the bullet... blah blah blah...


Yep, 50 cent was shot 9 times and he came to the hospital I'm at now. The hospital isn't too happy with him since he refused to pay his bill and sued him.

 

[edinOH]

See, alot of times, people forget that rappers are actors too, and that entertainment does not equate to reality.

"Fun" people get shot too...examples:

Pope John Paul, rest his soul
Ronald Reagan
JFK, rest his soul

None of which were down and dirty based on public perception. Sorry to get all PC, but comments like these get on my last nerve!

And yes, I will equate a rapper to the above mentioned because they are all human beings and famous people...

Ronald Reagan, rest his soul.

Defender of freedom, liberty and the American way.

On another note...

You want to do a rap star a big favor? Want to advance his career?

Shoot the motha ****a! Now that's gangsta. He'll sell more cds after a visit to the trauma bay for sho.